


Frosted Street

by chasing_the_sterek



Series: Inktober 2017 [22]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Curious Sherlock, Fluff, Harry is a Little Shit, Harry is a Tease, Inside jokes, M/M, Phone Calls, Siblings, Spaghetti Incidents, Teasing, Twins, for some reason i'm a big fan of putting people on speaker in fics, to be more accurate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 14:32:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13460262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasing_the_sterek/pseuds/chasing_the_sterek
Summary: "Come on then, let me in. It's freezing outside.""You'd deserve it," John says, sobering up.///Harry comes to call, and Sherlock experiences a new kind of sibling relationship.





	Frosted Street

**Author's Note:**

> Not-today's prompts was "ache/business"
> 
> John's shoulder was a little reluctant to take to the stage this time, but I'd been wanting to introduce a little more of Harry Watson anyway. . .
> 
> Oh, and the title is _Frosted Street_ because for some reason whilst I was writing this the only image that could come to mind was just that - snowy, icy streets. Except I didn't much fancy the alliteration and 'icy street' sounds a little too foreboding.

_"DOCTOR, DOCTOR, GIMME THE NEWS -"_

John's hands twitch, losing the mug he's washing to the suds. He scowls at his phone as he scoops up a tea towel, and then realises Sherlock is laughing at him and turns the expression on him instead. 

It's a good mood they're riding, today, having caught an _"interestingly inventive"_ serial killer yesterday, and whilst John is glad Sherlock is happy and laughing he'd much rather he weren't laughing _at_ him. 

John lifts his phone to his ear as soon as he sees the caller ID. "Harry?" he asks, a little confused and a bit worried. "Are you all right? What do you need?" 

He props the phone between his shoulder and ear, wipes the suds off his hands and off the phone, puts it on speaker. Sherlock's shoulders haven't stopped shaking yet. 

"Bugger off," John hisses at him. 

_"I'm - oh, how charming,"_ Harry says dryly. A pause, and then she says, _"This isn't a repeated hissy fit over the spaghetti incident, is it?"_

"I did not throw a _hissy fit,"_ John protests. He tries to ignore the way Sherlock is steadily paying less and less attention to his microscope. "And which spaghetti incident are you talking about, anyway? I can name at least three different ones off the top of my head." 

_"All your fault,"_ Harry announces, _"so it doesn't make sense that you're upset about them again -"_

"You absolute lying toerag -" 

Harry gives a theatrical gasp. _"John_ Watson! _Ouch, my heart."_

John props one hip against the counter and raises one amused eyebrow at a cupboard (come to think of it, he thinks that may be the one with the toes). 

"Does it ache?" he asks in his best doctor voice. 

_"It does,"_ Harry says seriously. _"Oh, it's so painful."_

"You know what you have to do, don't you?" 

_"Make my loving younger brother retract his harsh insults?"_

"Nope. Get over it." 

Sherlock snorts. John turns his head to look at him with a startled expression. He'd completely forgotten he was there. 

_"You're so nice to me,"_ Harry says sweetly. John narrows his eyes at his phone, suspicious. _"I actually brought you a present, you know."_

"If it's a knuckle sandwich, I don't want it." 

_"I miss the days when you were more gullible,"_ Harry sighs. 

"I haven't been gullible since before you systematically destroyed all of my records growing up," John accuses. 

_"Oh, so this_ is _about the spaghetti incident,"_ Harry says, triumphant. 

"Only because you brought it up. I'm still mad at you for that, by the way." John turns with some mugs to put them away, but Sherlock is in the way and won't budge. "Oi, move." 

_"Hope that wasn't meant for me,"_ Harry chimes, _"'cause if it was, you've cracked, mate."_

"No, it was to Sherlock, who still hasn't moved." 

John levels his best listen-to-me-for-once face at him. Nothing. 

_"Ooh, the hot one? You shoul-"_

"Harry, for God's sake, you're on speaker," John says into his hands, giving a despairing half-laugh. 

_"Oh, really? Well, I'm not apologising,"_ she says staunchly. 

Sherlock is laughing. He looks a little surprised, like he hadn't expected to; taken off-guard. John can't help but join in. 

_"You're both idiots,"_ Harry manages to say over their laughter. _"Come on then, let me in. It's freezing outside."_

"You'd deserve it," John says, sobering up. 

_"I forgot a coat,"_ Harry retorts immediately. _"Let that sink into your conscience,_ Doctor _Watson."_

John grumbles and goes down to open the door. 

"You're giving Sherlock bad ideas," he accuses. 

"I'd prefer something more along the lines of sharing is caring, but whatever floats your boat, honey." Harry pats him on the shoulder and shoves past. "I heard you thundering down something, so either you fell over or your hottie of a flatmate is lurking upstairs somewhere." 

John eyes the door, trying to see if Sherlock is listening in, then says, "Upstairs somewhere." 

"You tripped him into bed yet?" 

"Nope." 

Harry's eyes glitter with mischief. "Fancy a hand?" 

_"No._ Leave off, Harry. He's not interested." 

"Toby Blackendorf not-interested, or Debbie Macdonald not-interested?" 

"Theresa Stillen not-interested," John says. 

Harry gives one of the most unladylike snorts he's ever heard. "Oof. That's rough. Although now I have no idea what to expect from the appearance of your flat." 

She eyes the stairs warily. Comparison fresh in his mind, John does the same. 

"I've never _caught_ him fucking a book," John says carefully. 

"One step better than Theresa Stillen, then," Harry says, sounding a little reassured. She starts up the stairs. "Honestly, the stories you tell, I wouldn't put it past him to have tried." 

"Not my business." John hesitates, then pulls on one of her sleeves to stop her. "Harry. . ." 

"Yeah?" 

He casts his eyes to his feet. "I know you're better with women, but. . . can you keep an eye to see if you think he's interested?" 

Harry smiles down at him. "Consider it done."

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly not sure how I feel about this one, but at least I had fun writing it.
> 
> In regards to the Watson siblings' coded name system: 
> 
> Theresa Stillen - a girl Harry was interested in at school who had to go to the nurse because she had a rolled-up paperback book up her y'know that had unrolled partway through. Used as a metaphor for the relevant party being so uninterested they would rather screw inanimate objects. 
> 
> Toby Blackendorf - a boy Harry was interested in pre-gay realisation. Played extremely hard to get. Used as a metaphor for said playing hard to get and doing it so well/for so long the other party loses interest/hope and gives up. 
> 
> Debbie Macdonald - a girl John was interested in. Absolutely didn't give a single toss about him. Used as a metaphor for complete and actual lack of interest.


End file.
